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I die devotionals, Nathan Dooley

When you walk or run | P4-V12

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A Father’s Instruction

Proverbs 4:12

I die daily devotional.

11 I have directed you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in upright paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be impeded;
And if you run, you will not stumble.
13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go.
Guard her, for she is your life.

It’s quite the privilege to have the ability to walk or run, or to even watch those abilities being performed before our eyes; it’s simple to miss, really; it’s out of mind. And I think we might take it for granted, not by intention of course, but as though we’ve forgotten how to be in awe of such complex work as the human being. Remember when we actually had to watch before we could learn, and then had to learn how to walk before we could run, and then to throw a bicycle in the mix… I mean, that’s pretty crazy; I’m just simply in awe of the significance to such abilities we have, made by the hands of God.

John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future].

As I was thinking about what it means when you walk, so that your steps will not be impeded; and if you run, you will not stumble; the memory of truth comes to mind, how the Spirit of Truth will guide us into all the truth. Jesus comforted His disciples with this promise, the promise to send them a Helper as He was about to leave them to go to the Father who sent Him. Jesus knew and understood the purpose of His direction clearly, but what I notice is that His words speak of accomplishing an outcome that has yet to be undergone—or at least that’s the appearance, after all, this is Jesus we’re talking about, the gifter of eternal life, (“So what is time, really?”)—or so it seems, and not only that because the future will be disclosed to these apostles as well.

So by the looks of it, it almost seems counter productive to walk or run let alone do anything, but that’s not the case at all because we have a promise to walk in and run after. We have something so near and dear, a treasure that gifts us with an inheritance. I, much like a baby having the faintest idea about the world beyond myself, although smart enough, have only an idea that there is a New Jerusalem beyond my line of sight; a new heaven and earth where tears are wiped away, no more crying, no more pain. Streets of gold! What?! That’s exciting, but not near as exciting as being present with our God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son by the Holy Spirit who’ve organized such a place to fathom for unity one day… the Church.

I think I’ll go for a walk…

RESOURCE

Proverbs 4 (NASB)—blueletterbible.org | biblegateway.com

COMMENTARY

Chapter 4

Matthew Henry (P4-V12) Commentary
[3.] It would be much for his own advantage: “If thou be wise and good, thou shalt be so for thyself.”

  • First, “It will be thy life, thy comfort, thy happiness; it is what thou canst not live without:” Keep my commandments and live, v. 4. That of our Saviour agrees with this, If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments, Mt. 19:17. It is upon pain of death, eternal death, and in prospect of life, eternal life, that we are required to be religious. “Receive wisdom’s sayings, and the years of thy life shall be many (v. 10), as many in this world as Infinite Wisdom sees fit, and in the other world thou shalt live that life the years of which shall never be numbered. Keep her therefore, whatever it cost thee, for she is thy life, v. 13. All thy satisfaction will be found in this;” and a soul without true wisdom and grace is really a dead soul.
  • Secondly, “It will be thy guard and guide, thy convoy and conductor, through all the dangers and difficulties of thy journey through this wilderness. Love wisdom, and cleave to her, and she shall preserve thee, she shall keep thee (v. 6) from sin, the worst of evils, the worst of enemies; she shall keep thee from hurting thyself, and then none else can hurt thee.” As we say, “Keep thy shop, and thy shop will keep thee;” so, “Keep thy wisdom, and thy wisdom will keep thee.” It will keep us from straits and stumbling-blocks in the management of ourselves and our affairs, v. 12.
    • 1. That our steps be not straitened when we go, that we bring not ourselves into such straits as David was in, 2 Sa. 24:14. Those that make God’s word their rule shall walk at liberty, and be at ease in themselves.
    • 2. That our feet do not stumble when we run. If wise and good men be put upon sudden resolves, the certain rule of God’s word which they go by will keep them even then from stumbling upon any thing that may be pernicious. Integrity and uprightness will preserve us.
Nathan Dooley

Walking With A Ghost

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Have you considered going to your local park and walking with no strings attached, just you and the air you share with others on the path? If you haven’t, you should. When you do, you won’t even realize you’ve entered the dreamlike state of your life. You might even start to give off this impression that you’re insane to fellow walkers or over achieving joggers—you know the kind—by expressing yourself to the air as though someone was listening, like a ghost perhaps. See that’s when people should know that you are having a good walk rather than assuming the worst like, “That woman is definitely plotting to kill her husband“.

Sometimes you just need the nature of fresh air to sooth your emotions and balance out your senses before waking up to the chaos of your reality. I’m telling you, you’ll feel much better after your walk!

What’s amazing about a walk is… you’re free to go any direction you choose and place you arrive—even if it’s nowhere—because believe it or not, nowhere is actually a place identified by you because well… you’re somewhere. The point is that you are someone of unique and important value that can be appreciated when on a good solid walk with the ghost of the air. There are a lot of things going on in your life and it can be stressful to manage, that’s not including the pressure of unpredictable people that add to the affect of your life.

We just don’t have all the information about what is going on all the time and that’s ok. We don’t have to have all the information all the time because otherwise the treasure of information devalues like the time you drove that new car off the lot, why not purchase a used car and learn how to take care of it. It will teach a great deal about responsibility and give experience that you can share with others who might could use your skills changing out the drum breaks.

Anyway… the point is… go for a walk and talk to the ghost of the air and then listen closely because you won’t even realize that the ghost is speaking to you until you start to listen as you process. You’re not alone.